Spinning Gold
by elnochesesmuybonito
Summary: Aya's father got her into a life or death situation, when it becomes apparent that death is surely the only option a little man appears. she gives him gifts and one that she regrets. Can she get out of this mess? Or will she keep her word?
1. Chapter 1

**Spinning Gold**

**Prologue: Earlier Years**

I'd like to believe that my father was acting out of complete and total idiocy, I'd like to believe that, but as I am a woman, I know so much about him- for instance- his ego was too big, like his pride.

Now I won't bore you with all of my snarky comments about everything, and I shan't lie, for I am not like my cousin Ethan. Yes, our family has an odd ability to be placed in fairy tale situations that were later recorded down for your enjoyment. The only difference between him and me, is that I go by Grimm's and he goes by Disney, now that my linage of cousins has been explained, I shall continue onwards.

My child hood was like another's childhood in my village.

At the mere age of six I had been taught to sing. I preformed for the old King Rupert and his son- the Crown Prince Derek.

At the age of six. I do not remember Prince Derek so much, he was a good two years older than me- making him eight, incase you can not count well, so he was much, much more interested in the frog that was hoping by, begging every man to kiss it so that they could be rich. I do believe that the Prince had picked up the frog and told it he would much rather have a talking frog than a princess, and as I remember, she was quite a snide girl. But he let her go and now she lives in Osmond with her prince, I do believe that is how it went…

But I was intent on my song so I did not notice much.

I remember that day well though.

Every one in my village had gone. My mother was so proud of me, and my father was too, but he was always thinking about elevating our status, so he was watching the nobles carefully.

I had my hair done by my mother, and I had been bathed for the occasion. Naturally a new dress had been made for me, using up much of our money, but I was singing for the king, at the mere age of six. The dress was beautiful. A soft silky material that ran through your fingers like water, and a beautiful dove grey with a periwinkle petticoat. I thought I was a princess in that dress. My mother had straightened out my curls and braided them back, while threading them through with white ribbon. When she was done she had declared me a peach.(I do not know either.)

After I had been done singing my father had been approached by the King and his complaining son, or was it the frog in his pocket? The Prince had refused to look at me, even though I was young, I was not young enough to be not vain. In other words, I was a very vain child.

The King had talked to my father and then withdrew a thick silver ring form his finger with a sapphire set in it. He gave it to me. I remember the joy that I had felt at that. How much I had smiled.

"Here you go, darling." he had told me, fitting the gigantic ring on my thumb. I held onto it so it wouldn't fall off.

"A pretty jewel for the pretty child with the pretty voice, and it matched your eyes well my dear." then he had kissed my forehead.

Which was the King's blessing, supposedly protecting me from the plague that was sweeping across the land. I had smiled brilliantly and step back beside my father, my smile grew even more when the young prince had looked at me curiously. Like I said, I was an extremely vain child.

The years had passed.

When I was but nine I was fluent in three languages, able to draw picture that rivaled the top artist, play any instrument, and dance with ease and grace, in fact every move I made looked like I was made of air. This of course made me only more vain.

But when I was eleven, my mother had died, because of the plague, I tended to her, because of my protection, and the plague never touched me, I was and indeed blessed child. My mother died, taking apart of my heart with her, and leaving my father absolutely broken, but we both go through the rough times.

Sometimes my father would look at me fondly and say, "My dear Aya, I do believe when your mother passed, she took most of that brilliant blue with her."

This was true, for the mirror was my best friend, I could spend hours in front of it pruning, at the age of eleven. But my eyes had indeed gone form the sapphire they had been to a grey blue that looked like ice, but had green wound through them.

By the time I was fifteen I had suitors lined up for miles. This pleased my father to no end. He couldn't afford me nice cloths like ladies, but I was always dressed immaculately, and of course jewelry became on of my loves, I could thank my suitors for that.

When I as fifteen also, I became smitten with my self. I adored my eyes, that were big and always seemed innocent and docile like a lady's should, my light, light brown hair that fell down my back, curling into gentle ringlets. And of course, my curves and bust, I could never wear anything that covered them up or hid them, I was one of those girls that didn't need a corset because her shape was so perfect. Always on my thumb I wore the ring the King had given me, at all times.

As it came one day, the King wanted me to sing for him again before he passed away. I agreed readily.

My father was delighted, he set about getting the money that would be needed for my dress.

But I fell short at one thing, my hair. For I had no women friends, they were far too jealous o me, and I had not been taught how to put it up, for it had always been up either in a twist with a paint brush through it or down. But I did not let that concern me.

My dress this time was quiet simple, a light blue that had a slash in the front, middle that showed a white petticoat. I had put it one, feeling the fabric slide over my body, as cool and refreshing as water. Then I had gone carefully into my little garden behind my father's house and picked daisies and wove them into a crown. I had gone inside and brushed my hair three hundred times. With my daisy crown and my ring courtesy of the king I set off for the castle courtyard.

My vain self confident that I would capture the Prince's heart.

I had reached the center of the beautiful courtyard that was surrounded by weeping willows. I had taken my spot and waited until all had quieted, then I had sung my song. Everyone was quiet whilst I sang.

But I had watched, unnoticed by anyone in attendance, for their eyes were closed, picturing things that I did not care about. I watched the prince.

He was seventeen then. And he was quiet different from last time. I had heard that he was quite a ladies man. I could see why. He was tall and lean, clearly all muscle. But I watched as he fidgeted, the muscles moving under his skin like flowing water. He was tanned, but of course, what prince is not? His copper hair had fallen in to his eyes, his beautiful eyes. I though that my song would be stopped because of the shock I felt when I saw those eyes. They were an unnerving green, brilliant like emerald with a ring of dark blue around the out side and gold strands twined through with the green in a motionless dance. And then I knew I wanted those eye focused on me.

But he had not looked at me once.

_Damn you Derek!_ I had thought, shocked at my self for my language and the fact that I hadn't used prince. I felt something tingle its way up my spine. A sense of premonition? Insight? What I did not know, just a feeling that I had better get used to calling him his name with out a title.

I ended my song and curtsied while the audience clapped, but my eye were still trained on the Prince. He was clapping his hands lazily, while an airy grin was playing over his face. His eyes were perusing a woman. I wanted to shout to him "Look at me!" but I did not, my fingernails bit into the skin of my palm.

My father came to me and took my elbow and started to thread his way through the crowd, with a seething me in tow.

"The King wished to speak to you, child." my father said. I smiled brightly and put on my mask, even though my blood was boiling with rage at the Crown prince.

_That bastard, did not even look at me once!_ I thought hotly. I quelled the storm inside of me, for I knew from my many hours in front of my mirror, that all of my emotions showed in my eyes, weather I wanted them to or not. We reached their highnesses, I wonder vaguely if the Queen was still alive.

"Welcome!" the king said, his arms thrown wide, his thin and raged face twisted into a smile.

"Your grace." I curtsied toward the King and then slightly toward the Prince and curtsied.

"Highness." I said even though I different term fought for its right to escape from my mouth.

"My dear, do you still have the ring I gave you, long ago?" the King asked. The Prince's eyes flick toward me in an involuntary reaction, no doubt, but to my great pleasure, they stayed focused on me. I curtsied again.

"Yes, Sire. For I have not taken it off, your gift it greatly appreciated." I said. The King laughed jovially. Whilst Prince Derek turned in his seat slowly towards me, eyes still focused on my face.

"I am glad my dear…" he trailed off and raised an eyebrow.

"Aya, Your Grace." I said with another curtsy.

"Well, Aya, you are so much of a lady." he paused and thought something over. From around his neck he pulled a golden chain on which a small thing heart rested with an opal set into the middle. "My dear, I do believe you are lady, more so than the actual ladies themselves, but don't tell them I said that." he winked, I grinned a silly grin and curtsied again, murmuring a quiet "Yes, sire."

"My dear, I want you to have this, and so long as you are in my lands, you are Lady Aya." he said. I flushed with pleasure and sternly told myself that I could not hug the King and kiss his cheek, they would have my head. I felt the intensity o Prince Derek's gaze on my face, causing me to flush with pleasure.

"Thank you, my king!" I said, with another curtsied, trying to quell the emotional storm inside of me. He laughed again.

"It 'tis nothing! For I have had my last wish fulfilled before my time, to hear the young maiden from long ago sing yet again!" he replied, spreading his arms. I blushed and curtsied, casting my eyes downward demurely.

"Thank you, highness." he laughed again.

"Lady Aya, please do not let me keep you, do go and enjoy the festivities." I curtsied to the king with a

"Thank you, sire." then I turned toward the prince and curtsied, and indescribable feeling washed through me, I tried to stop it before it reached me too much, but I was too late, for I was certain the Prince saw it.

"Prince Derek" I said.

When I met his eyes I saw the same emotion I had seen in all of my suitors- lust, and…curiosity? That was new. I blinked, but quickly, gracefully, left their highnesses to join in the dancing.

I smiled at everyone as I passed them, feeling proud of my job well done, and my gifts form the King.

But I was still curious about the Queen, what had happened to her?

I pushed my thoughts away and joined in the dancing, accidentally capturing those poor souls that did dance with me.

Within a few hours of the merrymaking, I had a line of people to dance the next one with me. I laughed as the dance ended and I was twirled away into the next man's arms. I laughed and smiled gaily as I stumbled, causing the man that I had to dance with to catch me. I hummed quietly to my self as I quickly fixed my dress.

When I looked up, I was looking into those unsettling green eyes.

I quickly swept into a curtsy, murmuring, "Highness." he held out his hand.

A brief flash of triumph consumed me, but I pushed it down to make sure I looked like the docile lady everyone believed me to be. We twirled around to the lively music. I hummed along with it, but I never met his eyes. They made me feel very odd every time I did. I felt his gaze on my face, as I watched our dancing feet closely, trying to look as if I did not understand the moves. When he suddenly spoke, I almost jumped, for we had both been quiet.

"You are a pathetic liar." he said, his voice smooth, muted somehow, quiet, but still loud enough to hear.

"Oh really, my lord? How so, for we have not spoken." I replied, meeting his eyes quickly and then looking over his shoulder, which I felt tense under my hand.

This, of course, small action brought me to notice how we were dancing, awfully close, much closer than the dance deemed necessary, and his hand was lower on my hip than deemed necessary. I flicked my eyes around, taking in the scenery, with a shock I realized that we were under a willow tree, quiet far away from the festivities. Now, how had he managed that?

"Looking at you feet, for it is quiet apparent in the way that you move, you are a very good dancer." he replied quietly. I did not know weather to take that as a compliment or insult, I said nothing.

"And of course, you won't meet my eyes, which tells me that you have something to hide." I looked at him, grey meeting green, he smirked slightly, but continued to move me around with him to the music, which I was still humming too. I couldn't tear my eyes away, oh how I wanted to! But something made me look.

"I have nothing to hide." I replied with a sweet smile.

"You are not a docile as you appear to be." he said casually.

"And you seem to pay more attention when you are dancing with someone." I replied bitterly.

"Ah, so you did notice." he said, a small smiled dancing across his full lips.

"No, not quiet." I tried to cover up my mistake.

"Yes, you did, for not even my own father commented on it." he said lazily in a drawling voice.

"Who were you perusing?" I asked, my vanity getting in the way.

"Ah, yes you did indeed notice. Do tell me, did it make you jealous." he had found my weak point. I wonder vaguely how he did that.

"No, why would I want you after me?" I asked airily, like I had thousands of other princes chasing after me.

"And there is yet another lie. For I was watching you, out of the corner of my eye, you seemed to be livid." he laughed, his breath tickling my face. I said nothing, but persuaded my lips and attempted to look away, and yet again I couldn't.

"How do you do that?" I asked without thinking, I said too many things when looking into those eyes.

"Do what?" he asked me arching a brow. To tell him or not? My mouth made the decision for me.

"I can not look away, how do you do that?" I asked him, like a small child.

"Ah, yes, that." he smiled lightly, then his face turned dark. "One of my lovable traits." he replied with bitter sarcasm, "Right now could make you do anything I want." he said, his voice contemplative, his eyes searching my soul.

"I do not believe you." I replied, with a slight smile. He raised a brow.

"Tell me your one horrible trait." he said quickly, his voice soft and seductive.

"I am…" I broke off trying to stop myself from saying it. I knew I was vain, but… "vain." I finished against my will.

"See?" he whispered into my ear. I stiffened. "Are you afraid now?" he asked me lightly.

"No." I said in a steady voice, trying to look away, but he still held me fast.

"You should be." he replied, a malicious smile playing over his face.

"What are you going to do? You can not have any grudge over me." I replied.

"Ah, yes, but I do. For something that you have that I don't. Freedom. I am not allowed to do what I wish, you are, within reason, but still you have more freedom than me." his face wistful.

"You shall take this bitterness of yours out on me? Because I happened to be the sorry maiden who bumped into you?" I asked skeptically.

"No, because your voice has been haunting me since I was eight years old." he said, frankly. I flushed. I just wanted to go.

"So, now, that I have you, I simply want you to dance with me." we had stopped moving, but as soon as he said it, I was dancing, and no matter how hard I tried, my feet wouldn't stop. I looked at him alarmed.

"What are you?" I asked in shock. He gave a short and bitter laugh.

"The one who can control all of your actions." he said. I flushed again. Oh how I wanted to leave! So badly!

"Please, let me go!" I tried, playing it up.

"Ah, so now you try the damsel in distress card." he smiled harshly, "It wont work."

"What the Hell is your problem?" I asked him trying to tug away, but we were moving in a spin now.

"I have no problem." he replied.

"Then let me go." I demanded, my head spinning.

"No." he said simply, dipping me back, always holding eye contact. He placed a kiss on my throat, I almost screamed, but something told me it wouldn't be a good idea. I tried to jerk away. My head was pounding. What was happing? Why was he able to do this?

"How?" I asked him, as we spun around again.

"Heritage. My mother could do, so can I, but only when I want to, other than that, I just have an interesting eye color." he replied nonchalantly.

"Then use it on the nobles, not a miller's daughter!" I cried. My vanity was slowly starting to unravel. It was because of it that I was in this mess.

"Because, you are so much more fun to play with." he replied. So I was a toy now? Oh, I wanted to hurt him.

"So Mr. I-am-smart, how do you expect to get back into the festivities without being noticed?" I raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

"Well, it is quiet simple really, no one knows that we are gone." his answer was so frank and well, ridiculous, that I couldn't help but to laugh.

"And if I screamed?" I asked him.

"I'd stop you before you could." he didn't bat and eye lashed, I shivered.

"If I kicked you?"

"I wouldn cut you head off, just make you pay, in the worst way possible." he said. His hand dropping lower. I bit my lip. I wanted to say something, but I wouldn't, I would not! I refused to. He talked then, tried to provoke me into saying something, but I held my tongue, he would eventually grow bored, with me.

"I could always make you talk." he said, he looked eerie in the silver moon light. I shivered again.

"Fine." I said. He smiled brilliantly. I cursed him, and my self. Why had I gotten into this mess?

"Are you tired?" I asked him. He gave a short laugh.

"I was wondering when you would ask." he said. We stopped dancing, and walked over to the willow's base. He sat down, pulling me with him. I tucked my feet under me, this whole looking into his eyes all of the time business was getting annoying.

"Can't you tell me to stay here, so I don't have to look at you all the time? My neck is starting to hurt!" I whined. His eyes smoldered and he pursed his lips.

"Wow, well if you can't make me do whatever you want with out me looking at you, you must be pretty weak." I said, always rely on one thing in danger, pricking man's ego.

"Yes, I can make you do what I want, without looking at you." he said.

"Prove it." I replied, raising and eyebrow.

"You are not allowed to leave this willow unless I tell you, and you must do whatever I say." he replied. And then broke eye contact. I sighed and moved my eyes around. And then closed them. I stood up, waiting for his protest and walked over to the edge of the braches. It tried to part them, put my hands and feet wouldn't move. I growled with frustration.

"I'll go back!" I shouted at the branches. I back away and walked around, trying to think of a way out.

"Come here." he said. My feet jerked that way. I grumbled a protest. "Sit." I sat. "You know, I have no idea why my father thought you were a lady." he said.

"Is time passing out side?" I asked in stead.

"No. just here." he replied looking around. "Great!" I grumbled, my carefully placed demeanor dropping. And then I composed it again. He slung his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side, but he made no eye contact, for which I was eternally grateful.

"Now I do no know about you, but I want sleep." he said. Pulling me down with him. I rolled my eyes but said nothing. I flipped onto my side and almost screamed when his arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me close to him, tucking my head under his chin and curling his body around mine.

"Now, don't move." he said with a short laugh. I wanted to bite him or hurt him in any way, but that might be perilous to me…I sighed and closed my eyes, thoroughly tired and slowly drifted to sleep. I woke up before him. He had rolled away so I was free. I sat up and crawled over.

"Derek." whispered sweetly into his ear. He slightly moved.

"If you can hear me I want you to say 'willow'". he said the word sleepily. I grinned.

"Now I want you to say 'you may leave the willow tree, and you do not have to listen to everything I say.'" I told him. He repeated the words. I got up and walked over to the branches thrilled that my muscles did not lock up when I reached them. I looked back at the Prince, but he wasn't there. A little man was sitting where he had been. His coal black eyes watched me.

"What?" I asked him, unnerved…where had the Prince gone?

"You and I shall meet again." he said in an odd ominous voice and then he laughed and disappeared.

I had bolted up. The covers tangled around me. I had leaned my head on my knees. What a terrible dream! A horrible dream. And yet, now I couldn't even remember the rest of my day…I had shaken the dream out of my head, and had not thought of it for a long time...

When I was sixteen the King died. Causing 18 year old Derek to become King.

Two years later my father made his mistake. I wanted to believe it was a folly, I wanted to believe he had bumped his head and couldn't think straight, but I could not. For I knew that his mistake was born out of desperation. As most mistakes are…or lies, lies that led to trades, trades of freedom, trades of life, my life…I suddenly hated my father very much…

**XoxOxoX**

**A/N I got bored so i started this, i picked this one first off my poll cuz it had the most votes...-yawns- srry, its late adn i posted this just for you! my peeps! Alrgiht, tell me what you think of our lovely heroien. Bc im not gettin ginto explinations tonight, i am listenting to paramorea dn staring covetly at the new offspring album on itunes, trying to decied how i am gonna get it. **

**Story related, yes she was dreaming, but some parts were fragemtn of waht she remembered, some parts were dream, well with the prince anyway, the rest was just histroy, and there will not be any lemons...unless someone writes it and then forces me to put it up. alrigth so as usal ur input is greatly apreciated, via review or e-mail, just tell me what ya thought! peace out my peeps.**

**and yes, all of my fariy tale chaacters in rewrites will be related bizarly :D Rae**


	2. Way Sorry

okay, so yes it is not another chapter. but i have some ucky news. my computer had decided to get infected and therefore i can not update anything. i do have all of my fiels but i cant relly update, in fact im lucky to even get this up. jeeze. so i feel relly bad cause i havent updated some things in forever, so here the deal. i will try to update, but it probly wont go too well, this is my mom's work comp and shes on it like 24/7 so we shall see. but pretty much if my comp doesnt get fixed, yall will have to wait for x-mas. but i swear, i wil be typing and editing on til x-mas so if i do have to get a new comp on december 25th EVERYTHING will be update possibly a chapter or two. i am sooooo sorry about leaving y'all hanging, but uggh! sorry guys, seriously. i will try to update. bye!

~Rae-Rae (Nicole says hi)


	3. Not Sir

**Spinning Gold **

_Chapter One: Not Sir_

**-Note…There is a reason why this story is rated T (and no! its not beace I curse like a sailor…okay may be a little…) for other reasons than the obvious ones. *waggles eyebrows***

It was a normal day. The sky was blue and the grass was green. But of course there was something not very normal about it…

It was two years ago that I had last sung to the king, a year later he died. Now Prince Derek ruled. They said that he was greedy, very, very, very greedy. They also say that he loved to have young woman hanging around just waiting for…well, you get my drift. The country was going down hill. My father's once prosperous mill was failing…badly. This left me to fend on my own, scrounging up what cloth I could for my dresses.

I had nice ones, but I didn't wear them much. I usually wore a simple blue dress with a white apron and a kerchief around my hair, just because I no longer saw nay point in grooming my hair to perfection every morning… Now that I was in not as nice clothing as I was accustomed to… I saw no point in my hours in front of the mirror.

Instead I went into town and helped out whomever I could for a little money, or bread. Usually I worked at the bakery. It was my favorite place, all of the hustle and bustle, pounding the dough, icing pastries and cakes, making pie crusts, the cheerful songs that erupted randomly, and of course there was…_him._

No, not the Prince…er…King now…I was done with him(it was a pointless infatuation caused by my vanity)…there was no point with that stupid little fix of mine. No this was a different person. He made my insides flutter whenever he smiled at me. Just talking to him made you feel like you were the only other person in the world with him. He made everything worth wild. He was now the fixation of my days, making me feel like that vain child that everyone wanted not too long ago. He made me feel everything but the poor miller's daughter that was dressed in rags and worked for food…

He was really the baker's son, but he did not look like what I would think a baker would look like. Not portly or stout or fat, but lean and hard like he worked in the fields instead of at the bakery. His skin was a warm caramel color, also making him appear as if he'd been outside indefinitely. He seemed to glow with the color. I on the other hand, was as pasty as the icing we used on the cinnamon buns. But alas, this isn't about me, its about _him_. Like everything else I did was revolved around him. He was very…foreign looking. The caramel skin(we've been over that already! Keep up!) and the unnatural muscled hardness of his body, but also the long, loose black curls and the coffee brown eyes, but as different as he was, he had every woman in town swooning over him, including me… Yes I know, I know, not at all like me, right, but this is two years later and I learned my lesson…in that odd dream and memory mix, which I still can't tell which parts are fact and which parts are fiction. But this man was worth my time. I still look back on the day we had met, with perfect clarity, knowing each and every fact about it, unlike another circumstance I could name…(yes, I'm that pathetic!)

"_Hello!" I cheerfully said to the man who had his back to me. He turned around slowly, my breath had caught. He was devilishly handsome, was it a sin to look like that? It must be. I felt blood in my cheeks._

"_Yes?" he asked, raising a dark brow. I scrambled, trying to get my words straight._

"_I was wondering if I could…perhaps work at the bakery you run?" I asked. His coffee eyes appraised my tattered dress._

"_Fine then…" he trailed off and waited for my name._

"_Aya." I said simply. No need for him to know the title the King had bestowed upon me so long ago…_

"_Lady Aya." he said, flashing a brilliant smile. My insides twisted… _and from there on I had been wrapped around his pinkie finger.

I sighed and shook my head, no need to distract my self with that…I kneaded the dough with more force, a great place to take your anger out on, I suggest you try it. I hummed a little under my breath and then sung some words along with it, just a child's song really.

"I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee, won't my mommy be so proud of me, I'm bring home a baby bumblebee. Ouch! He stung me! I'm squishing up the baby bumble bee, won't my mommy be so proud of me, I'm squishing up a baby bumble bee…" I paused and molded the dough to the pie…container? Just because I work in the bakery doesn't mean I know the name of everything! So back off! And yes, I like that song and surprise, surprise, I am not a middle aged woman!(I'm only…oh crap! I forgot!)

"I'm cleaning up the baby bumblebee." a low voice sang quietly in my ear. I jumped about six feet high an out of my skin (not an easy task, let me tell you!). "Nice song, quiet childish if you ask me…" the voice continued, still whispering. I swallowed against the dry ach in my throat and turned around, fixing a smile on my face.

"You scared me!" I told him. Yes it was _him_. God, it seriously is a sin to have your eyes do that…maybe I should tell him?

"Sorry bout that." he said, turning away and taking the pie…pan? from me.

"You need to go to confession!" I blurted out. My hand smacked across my lips and I held my breath as my face turned slowly hot, and I knew that I was a brilliant red color. He turned around slowly.

"What?" he asked me, his eyes searching mine, the amused smile halfway there and half not.

"Nothing Jake." He smiled slightly and looked around, his eye brows lifted like he had just noticed that we were the only two working this Sunday.

He turned back, an amused smile on his face. He stepped closer to me, I stepped back, feeling the cold counter press into my back. My breath was coming fast. He took another step towards me, my heart quickened. Another step. I swear to the holy lord I was going to have a heart attack if he didn't stop. He took another step until we were touching, chest to chest. I couldn't get enough air into my lungs. He reached his arms forward and braced himself on the counter, trapping me. His eyes smoldered as he studied my face closely, judging my reactions and other such things that give away what you were feeling (But he must have felt my heart…or heard it, I certainly could…). Oh how I wanted to close that short distance between his mouth and mine, but I wasn't allowed. Damn being a girl, its sucks!(in my time anyway…)

He laughed suddenly. A low husky laugh. An odd ache formed within me at that, I needed to be closer to him. I placed my hands on his chest, twining my fingers in his shirt. He laughed again.

"They were right, I was blind."

Before I could question him, his lips were touching mine, softly and tenderly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and then pushed my fingers into his curls, reveling in the softness of his hair. His arms crushed me closer to him. But it wasn't enough. I wanted to be even closer. The direction of my thoughts(for the purity of your poor minds I won't describe what I was thinking we could be doing…)surprised me. I turned my head away, suddenly feeling very sick with myself.

"No." I whispered.

His grip around me loosened and his arms went slack. I turned around and kneed the dough in silence. When I turned back around he was gone. Probably attending the counter or something. A feeling churned deep down inside of my stomach. It felt like guilt, but I knew what it really was…the problem I had though was very big…much bigger than you could possibly know. Sighing I turned around and filled the pie pan with blue berries ad then put it into the oven. Life sucked sometimes.

--

Later that day I was out in my garden, trying desperately to tend to the vegetables so that they would grow and my father and I would have food. I hadn't dressed up for the occasion, there was really no point, I was mucking around I the dirt anyways. So an old patched blue dress and a kerchief around my hair, which was, needless to say, was tangled beyond help…

So. I was bending over working at the carrots when I heard horses close by, being out in the country this was not an unusual occurrence, so I didn't look up. But then the horses slowed…Right by the forest which was a good ten feet from where I was standing. I looked up shielding my eyes and squinting at the riders. It was just two of them, sitting still, looking about, seeming out of place with their impatient horses prancing. One of the men called out to me.

"Maiden! Might you have any drink to spare?"

I switched my gaze to the rider that had spoken to me. The rider was on a black horse that looked around seeming bored. He was wearing the standard brown pants and boots of a hunter, but his green clock was pulled tight about him and the hood shrouded his face from view, well all except for his jaw and lips which were displaying a little half smile. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead, it really was hot out, so what was he doing riding around in a cloak? His companion nudged him and whispered something, the other shook his head and responded. The man who had spoken to his companion looked at me and gestured towards me a couple of times, the other, hooded man, just waved him off nonchalantly.

"Yes sirs, we have a well, if you just follow me." I walked out of my garden, not caring if they followed, I could use some water too.

I reached the stone well that was in the front yard and dipped the old wooden bucket in, cranking the handle to pull up the now heavy bucket, but not that heavy…(you get killer muscles working on a farm…)

I placed the bucket on the ledge and dipped my hands in the cool water, splashing it on my face and then back of my neck. I brought it to my lips and drank. I dropped the bucket back in for more water,. I pulled it up and on the ledge and turned around. The two men were standing there, the man without the hood looking uncomfortable with his companion was smiling a little secretive smile. The kind that tells you he knows a joke…a cruel joke that happens to be about you and no way in hell he would tell you the joke.

"Here you go." I said motioning to the bucket.

I left them to their own devices. Seeing as my other cousin (I don't think you know her yet.) had given and old crone some water and then jewels fell from her mouth and then well…she is sort of hiding out right now, trying not to be found by her stalkers…right but, that's not our story, right? Right! So…lets see…Okay so-

So I went back to my garden, tending to the dieing lettuce because of the drought that was happening and paying attention to my thoughts ( I was still incredibly confused about what happened at the bakery…). So when the shadow fell over me and I turned around to find the cloaked man, you could imagine my surprise.

"Thank you for the drink." he said, bowing his head slightly.

"Oh…it's…nothing." I said hesitantly. He took my hand and placed a gold coin in it, curling my fingers around it. I looked at the money surprised.

"Sir, really, you don't have to…" I trailed off.

He smiled a bit at me and pulled his hood back. I studied his face carefully, he looked vaguely familiar with the caramel skin and the chiseled jaw line. His dark brown hair was falling into his eyes and flipped up slightly at the ends. He raked his fingers through his hair and then smiled again, the expression adding a light to his eyes. I had to look up to see him, since he was a good head or so taller than me.

"But I wanted to." he whispered, his hand still holding mine. I looked away, totally uncomfortable with the way things were going.

"Well…er…thank you, sir." I said. He smiled that brilliant smile again and the world spun.

"Not sir." he said simply.

"What then?" I asked intelligently and not at all in a rude tone…

"Just Eben." he said. I smiled slightly and dipped my head.

"Eben," I said, curtsying a bit. He smiled slightly and bowed grandly in response.

"Aya," He said and then turned on his heel, leaving me to stare after him and wonder how in the name of hell he knew my name when I said nothing to him about it…

**XoxOxoX**

**A/N- Hey guys! this is TWO WHOLE DAYS EARLY!**** Claps for me! Okay so…yeah, I'm not very fond of this story…but then again Derek is being an ass and won't tell me when the miller goes to see him, that and he doesn't really want to deal with the miller right now…see only a real writer would understand what I said there. Oh well! I hope that this kept you entertained, until next time chickadees! (oh and what did you think of Jake and Eben? Do tell me who you want her to like!)**


	4. A Man's Love

**Spinning Gold**

_Chapter Two: A Man's Love_

**Recap- Aya has found out that Jake, her employer, returns her affections, she is no longer vain, and her affections toward Jake have been split, half to him and the other half to Eben, the noble she met. **

Life progressed as it always did, moving and flowing with perfect ease. Rain falling without a care for what it would do to the crops, sun then beating down cruelly and causing the wet earth to cake with mud and small hairline cracks. And the economy got worse and worse.

I sighed and moved the basket to my other arm. I rarely worked inside of the bakery now, instead I did bread deliveries and sometimes, if he was sick, milk deliveries. Which meant I had to be up early and got home very late.

I had finished my morning run and the sun was just peeking over the horizon I was on my way back to the bakery where I would be milking the cows or sent out to pluck berries. I turned a cornier of the street, my feet kicking up dust when I heard someone say hello.

It was in the point of the morning where the dunk men where walking about, wandering until they stumbled upon their homes. In other words, there was no point for me to answer.

"Hello, Aya!" the man said again. I stopped and turned.

"Yes?" I asked. He came up to me and smiled.

"Do you have anything good in there?" he asked motioning to the basket. I grimaced; the rule was paying personages first, then you.

"Yes a crepe, about one copper." I said. His hand reached into his pocket and he pulled out a coin which he pressed into the palm of my hand. I looked at it dumbfounded. A gold piece? Was he insane? Or was…

"Eben!" I hissed at him, trying to make him take back the coin. He laughed and held up his hands, his cloak loosing about his neck a bit.

"No, you need it more than I do." He said with a wink. I flushed a bit and turned on my heel. He moved easily next to me, chewing thoughtfully on the crepe.

"So, how is your garden going Aya?" he asked me nonchalantly. I grimaced. The rain fall had all but ruined it, except for a couple of potatoes…

"Not so good." I said.

He smiled kindly and stopped at a vegetable seller's cart who was setting up for the market. He slid a coin onto the wood.

"All of your freshest vegetables please, or at least as many as this coin can buy." Eben said.

I fumed silently, tapping my foot but waiting for him none the less. I wasn't a charity case. The man took the coin and bit it he was surprised when it didn't bend so with a brilliant smile he filled up a basket with all of the vegetable which he wrapped in cloth I thought that I could reuse that cloth and make a patchwork apron. Eben thanked the man and handed me the basket.

"So where is your father?" he asked me. His speech was articulate, he was clearly educated, for some reason this put me on guard.

"He's out of town, tryin' to sell some lumber to other towns." I told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Your mother?"

"She died." I said.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. I said nothing and we walk a bit in silence. I wondered how long he'd follow me for.

"What 'bout you?" I asked him. He looked up at me, eyes flashing and his jaw locked tight.

"What about me?" he asked.

"Where'd you come from?"

"The castle." He said his tone warning. Well I'll be damned if I'm not going to ask him anymore questions.

"You work or prance 'round in those expensive fabrics?"

"The king and I are quiet close." He said his mouth turning down at the corner.

"So you're a noble?" I pressured.

"No, just a close friend of the King."

"All right, so are you like his best friend or something?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess, I mean I'm always in the throne room with the poor fellow." He said with another shrug. I stopped walking outside of the bakery.

"This is where I go." I told him. He smiled brightly.

"I'll see you sometime soon then Aya?" he asked me. I nodded my head and went thru the door wondering for the hundredth time how he knew my name.

***  
I set the empty bread basket down on the counter and pulled an apron off the hook of the wall. One of the girls looked up at me and raised her eye brow.

"Yer back mighty quick." She said. I smiled, tolerating her searching gaze.

"Yeah." I said simply, looking for a pail. I found one and moved out to the back of the bakery. I grabbed a stool and put it next to the cow that I then proceeded to milk.

I heard someone coming near me their boots caring heavily across the gravel. I turned and whipped my forehead, squinting to make out their features.

"I'm gonna need you to go get some berries." He said.

"Yes sir." I replied, but not breaking the eye contact.

I felt that familiar flush creeping through my veins. I really didn't know how I felt about Jake, and I knew that he didn't know how he felt about me. There where times when I'd catch him looking at me his eye strange and his jaw clinched and often I felt the same way; feeling that hot lick of desire in my abdomen. He didn't break the eye contact we were holding either. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair and took a small stool and sat down next to me, his knee touching mine. And I could feel the heat through my thin dress.

"It's odd not having you in the kitchen randomly busting out in song." He said softly. I laughed quietly.

"Really, I thought you'd be thrilled, since you are always complaining about my songs in the first place." I told him. He sighed.

"No. I miss them and I miss seeing you." He whispered. My fingers stilled on the udders and the cow mooed impatiently I let her go and faced him.

"Jake…I just…I don't-" I said.

"No, I mean I don't know what I did wrong; I mean can't we at least talk about it? I don't think I did anything to make you feel threatened…." He trailed off and I sighed rubbing my fingers against my eyes.

"It's hard. I'm not ready to start a family with how the economy is and honestly, to support a child…I can't…" I whispered. He took my hands in his.

"Please Aya, we wouldn't have to have a child…I mean…please Aya…I love you." He whispered.

I looked at him alarmed. _No you don't!_ I wanted to scream at him. And while a part of me was rejoicing and another part was playing Eben's smiling face….

"Jake… I need…I need time to think, alright?" I asked him. He sighed and nodded his head and gently kissed my forehead and moved away. I hung my head in my hands and felt the pounding being at my temples. Was it possible to love two?

***

Life moved onward yet again, weeks passed and I put off Jake's marriage questions and tended to the garden and rejected Eben's charity and yet I wasn't happy.

Sure everything was going great. Jake was talking to me but we did nothing unless we both consented to the action and that was the problem _he was always ready for something!_ And Eben was a pain in my ass always dropping by unexpectedly, one time even at night, where I woke up to fine him leaning against my window and laughing at me. I had pushed him out of the window and then ran downstairs fearing that I had killed him, but he was fine, angry and demanding a kiss, but fine.

There seemed to be something about him I didn't trust, like he never told me the truth about who he really was and then he was always suspicious about me working at the bakery and he'd ask about Jake often and I wondered how he even knew about my employer. Whenever he asked I would laugh at him and call him jealous and he'd say nothing, just look at me oddly and then smile brilliantly and attempt to buy me something that I had no desire for.

So as was my motto, life moved on, leaving me to decide if I wanted to go with it or not.

Until one day life moved on so well that Jake stopped asking about marriage, Eben stopped asking about Jake, my father came home, and Eben disappeared.

Yes, life was wonderfully dull and unfair.

***

"Aya, come we must go to the castle." My father said. He was a stout man with a big nose and fire red hair his eyes were small and brown and he was hungry for money.

"But why father?" I asked him. He looked at me steadily as he lied.

"We must make a bargain with the king and I need you there to show him that I have a woman I need to take care of." I went with him, but I wouldn't of if I had known what that bargain was…

***

**A/N- God! I'm a horrible person! My computer must hate me! Or just the world, but honestly, I have two done! So I'm on a roll! I'd love to tell you all the wonderful stuff that has happened to me lately, but I'll save that for another story :)!**


	5. Into the Castle

**Spinning Gold**

_Chapter Three: Into the Castle_

**Note- I'm sorry if the grammar is awful, I tried, really!**

I gulped nervously as I walked through the courtyard. It was littered with fine ladies, all glaring at me and then turning to whisper behind their silk fans.

My blood boiled at that thought. They had silk fans and if I had enough money for one I'd be fed for a month with new sheets for my bed and a new dress. It was sickening. The men were also horrendous, turning up their noses at us; they were fat as well, the older ones anyways. I avoided eye contact with anyone and walked with my back straight my head held high hoping that the telling red wouldn't seep into my cheeks.

We reached the door and the guard in front of us opened it and made us move thru. Inside was dull, lighted by candles and cold because for the stone. Another guard took my father and I down a hallway and to another door.

"Wait 'ere." He said to us. I said nothing, just looked around at the dull grey stone, until an idea hit me. Eben would be in there… well he was supposed to be…and I hadn't seen him for a couple of days…

"Try not to do anything stupid, and keep your mouth shut." My father said in his gruff voice. I felt hurt by his assumption, but then again, I didn't know what was going on and that was clue number one.

"Fine." Was all I said to him and he nodded his head. The guard opened the door and someone announced our names.

"The Miller John Banks and his daughter Aya Banks," I looked at the now king, he was sitting in a big chair looking utterly bored out of his mind, but when my name had been said he glanced up, eyes widening a bit in surprise.

My father and I walked up to his royal highness and I had to curtsy, but my eyes were looking for Eben. He wasn't anywhere to be found and I felt a bit of bitterness towards him, of course he'd ditch me when I needed him most.

"Yes?" was all the King said. It was hard not to just say Prince Derek in my head. He was just the King…. Odd. Also odd how his voice sounded familiar, annoyingly so like I head it last week…damn me and my bad memory.

"Sire, times are hard pressed for me and my daughter." My father began. I said nothing, just feeling relief that maybe, just maybe my father would get some salary or something out of this. The king nodded his head, showing that he was listening, but I felt his unsettling eyes one me and I refused to look up.

"So, as it is so I can't keep my daughter's talent hidden any longer." I went rigid- talent? I could sing, but that wasn't too big of a deal…and besides everyone knew it…

I could feel the King's shock and a couple of the men standing about. They were all young, good looking and not fat. A woman was there too, in an impeccably low cut dress.

"What talent?" the king asked and I could see the wheels tuning in his head. My cheeks grew hot; everyone was looking at me carefully, seeing what the peasant girl could possibly offer to the king other than her body and her voice.

"Well sire, she can take wheat and spin it into gold." My father stated this fact clearly and my hand gripped convulsively at my dress, several people gasped and there was some murmuring. I glanced up to gauge the king's reaction.

His eye brows where raised and his lips perused. Isn't he hot in that? I thought, looking at the heavy clock on his shoulders and the rich coat and pants. And of course that crown had to be heavy…I mean solid gold…

"Can she?" he asked. My father nodded his head vigorously. His voice had changed. I noted, it was still muted, gruffer then it had been a second ago…why had he suddenly changed it…?

"Yes! Yes she-" he cut my father off.

"Is this true Maiden?" he asked me. I bit my lip and looked up at him.

"Yes." I whispered. How the hell was I going to get out of this one?

"Alright, why don't we put your claim to a test miller?"

"Yes sire?" my father asked. My fingers where starting to hurt form how hard I was gripping my dress.

"Aya, you must prove yourself three times. Tonight you will spin one room full of wheat to gold, the night after a bigger room and the night after that an even bigger room.

Should you fail tonight you will be killed for your lies. Should you successfully spin gold all three nights then you will marry me and you and your father will have claim to what ever you wish him to." I looked up surprised, okay everything but the marriage made sense. A king marrying a commoner…I mean, c'mon!

"Yes your highness." I whispered and curtsied. How was I going to spin wheat in to gold? How? How? How?!

"Show Miller Banks to the door, he may see his daughter in three days, unless she fails her task." A guard escorted my father out and the king motioned to a woman near by.

"Get her fed and into something halfway decent." He said to her.

She nodded her head and curtsied and moved over to me. She hooked her arm through mine and we moved away and I heard him telling a page to get a room filled and then he told everyone to shoo. And I still hadn't seen Eben.

***

"I do hope you aren't lying." The woman said as she led me down the hallway her stride elegant…maybe she was a higher class of whore? Or maybe her father had made her maid dress her as such so that she could catch the king's eye?

"I'm not." I whispered hoarsely. She pursed her lips.

"I'm Tess by the way." She said.

"Pleasure." I replied. She smiled and dragged me through a door.

"Alright, what color looks best on you?" she tapped her lip and surveyed an array of dresses.

"Oh, you really don't have to…I mean."

"Nonsense!" she said pulling out a simple green dress.

"That had better be cotton." I told her she laughed and nodded her head yes, but I could tell from looking at the fabric that it was satin. I sighed and let her dress me. I refused the shoes and she sighed.

"You are such a worry-wart!" she told me with a laugh.

"Well, you would be too if your life was threatened." I told her.

"True. Okay so no shoes…let me do your hair and then we will get you something to eat." She said.

In the end I won another battle where she just put my hair into a low bun on my neck. I sighed when she was done and followed her down another stone corridor, the cold stone making my feet ache. We reached a door and she opened it. Inside was a small table spread out with four places. I sat at one and she left to get someone.

"Well, never thought I'd see you here!" a man's voice said behind me. I turned around quickly and saw Eben standing in the door way leaning against the frame with an easy smile lighting up his face.

"Long story," was all I said. He pushed off and came to sit next to me.

"I've got time." He replied with an easy smile.

"I bet you've heard it already." I told him he shrugged.

"Maybe."

"I can spin gold." He raised an eyebrow at me and smiled.

"Yeah, I heard that." He said quietly. I had to lean in to hear him because his voice was so quiet already. Tess came back out and stopped short when she saw Eben it looked like she was debating something.

"Tess!" he said quickly. "The king was just looking for you!" he told her. She looked at him confused. "In the library." He said. She raised an eye brow and walked out of the room. A woman came from where Tess had been just a second ago.

"Well 'ello young mizz, 'ow can I 'elp you?" she asked me. Eben smiled at the old woman.

"How 'bout some soup and something else of your choice?" Eben said. The woman smiled and bustled back to the kitchen. Eben turned back to me his green eyes catching the light and seeming to turn a bluish gold.

"So, do you think you'll be able to do it?" he asked me.

"Do what?" I replied as two pieces of toast with cheese between them and soup was placed in front of me.

"Spin the wheat."

"Maybe." I said taking a bite out of the insanely good sandwich. I finished that off before he spoke again.

"Like it?" I nodded my head vigorously. His fingers dance over the edge of the dress I was wearing. "You look beautiful in green." I swallowed and blushed a bit.

"I guess." He sighed and rubbed his side, grimacing.

"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned.

"Yes, fine, still a little hurt form the fall I took last week." He grumbled. I laughed.

"What did you want me to do? Run into your arms and beg you to take me away?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Maybe."

"If your looking for a kiss, keep trying." I told him. He grimaced again.

"Damn, I thought I was close!" he said. I laughed and nudged him playfully and then turned my attention to the soup, once again he said nothing until I finished it off.

"Damn it, I have to get you to that room." He whispered.

"No, you don't." I said raising an eyebrow. He looked at me surprised.

"Well, what do you have in mind?" he asked me. I blushed.

"Nothing. But if I gotta go I gotta go." I said.

"You gotta go." He replied.

I laughed and stood up and he stood with me and led me out into the hallway and then down a network of other halls, stairs and corridors. He was quiet, thinking about something and I was contemplating my mortality. He stopped out side of a door.

"Here you go." He said. I sighed and put my hand on the knob.

His hands dropped to my shoulders and he looked at me carefully.

"You'll be fine." He whispered as if to assure himself.

I nodded my head yes, agreeing with him. And then he surprised me by gently touching his lips to mine.

It is amazing how a touch can mean something, if you touch skin it is nothing, but if you touch lips it is just so significant.

My hand loosened from the door knob and my arms went around his waist, he pulled back and gave me a hug.

"You'll do just great." He whispered, opening the door and I stepped into the room lighted by candles, not looking back at him and focusing on the piles of wheat in front of me.

"Damn it." I whispered and collapsed to the floor, wondering what type of wood my coffin would be made out of or if I'd even get a coffin…

***

**A/N~ Another update, all in the same day, yes, I'm amazing! (Amazingly horrible with updates!) Comments, Questions, Concerns, Complaints- all welcome, you know how to reach me! **


	6. The Host of Hell

**Spinning Gold**

**Chapter 4: The Host of Hell**

After some time I loosened my fingers (I had laced them together in an effort not to rip my hair out of my scalp) and undid the bun at the back of my neck, letting my hair hang down in lank sheets. I sighed and combed my fingers thru it, trying to think about my situation. Nothing. I couldn't think of one idea to get me out of this.

Sometime later I resigned myself to my death and started to sing an old folk song, the words weren't important, I was just going with the tune, saying anything that popped into my head. At some point I heard the sweet music of a flute accompanying me. I broke off and swirled, straining to make out where the music was coming from.

The music abruptly stopped when I had stopped my song.

"Who's there?" I said, deciding it best to call out. There was a slight laugh.

"Here, by the window!" a voice said. I swirled, my eyes finding the window and a little figure sitting on the sill.

"Who are you?" I demeaned, feeling my fingers shake.

They jumped down from the sill, moving into the circle of light provided by my one little candle. It was a short man in a black tunic, the waist bound with a scarlet leather belt with a giant silver buckle. On his feet he wore intricate scarlet silk slippers with silver tassels and his fingers adorned by rings on his head perched a little red cap, hiding his hair and picking up the dark coal of his eyes. I shivered, feeling as if someone had trailed their finger up my spine, I'd seen him before.

"'And sayeth unto his family, "I go to fight, to stand alone against all the host of hell," he experienced hell's wrath, succumbed to its flames and thus this warning unto ye "beware the host of hell."'" I stared at the little man as he pulled out a file and set to work on his nails.

"What?" was all I could think to say. He looked up at me, his eyes indifferent.

"Folk lore. You wouldn't understand…naturally." His voice was like honey.

"FolkLore? You mean like fairy tales?" I asked.

"No. I mean like myths and lore for the folk. The fair folk's bible!" he said, looking at me with utter contempt. I flinched back, slightly insulted.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him. He looked up at me now, his eyes alighted with interest.

"Yes, indeed, well I came like the others came, to see if the rumor of the girl who can spin gold from wheat is true."

"Oh." I said, utterly disheartened. "It's not." I whispered. He looked at me with sympathy.

"Evil, money hungry father, poor innocent maiden, money hungry ruler, secret lover within the court who isn't who he claims, a task, price of death for failure… you'll do." He said, dislodging his cap and bowing at the waist, his dark eyes mocking. He fixed his cap back on and sat down, his little legs in front of him.

"Excuse me?" I stuttered. His eyes were on my thumb where I wore the sapphire ring I had gotten when I was six.

"I want that." He said pointing at it. I glanced at him again, flabbergasted. My mind was racing.

Fact: I was in a room, expected to transform the wheat into gold.

Fact: The little man seemed to know my situation.

Fact: He wanted my ring.

I stopped again, utterly confused.

Secret lover in the court who isn't who he claims to be? Now how the hell would he know about Eben?

And hell. The host of hell. What was that? Was he calling himself a demon? Did hell want to claim me as its own? Was I that bad for not speaking up? Not for selling out my father's lie?

I shook my self out of my thoughts, desperate to get out of situations.

"My ring?" I asked him. He nodded his head, his eyes greedy. "What will you give me in return?" I asked. He looked at me dumbfounded.

"Honestly? I'll spin this wheat into gold of course!" he said.

"Good first, then ring." I said. He grumbled but went to the loom, putting wheat on I listen to the _whir whir_ of the wooden machine as he swiftly changed the wheat to gold.

"They'll have a name for this one day. Alchemy. People will try what I'm doing right now, they will fail, terribly, maybe even kill themselves with mercury. You never do know with mercury, tricky stuff. Drivers people bonkers." The little man said, his fingers moving nimbly, little gold straws falling as he finished spinning the wheat, getting another armful and loading it.

"You said will. So the future? How do you know that? It happens after our time." I said, looking at him, pulling my knees up to my chest, watching his fingers.

"I don't know, I'm guessing. But, I know these things." He said, stopping briefly to tap his nose.

"Tell me, what is your name?" I asked him. His eyes looked to me and he grinned evilly.

"Powerful thing that is- a name. I go by Spinner. Not my true name, but then we don't all know our true names, do we Lady Aya?" he asked me with a wink. I flinched, ignoring how much he seemed to know about me.

"The court thing- a secret lover. He's not my lover. I just happen to realty like him and he badgers me for kisses, that's all it is." I said, twiddling my thumbs.

"Ironically you've managed to make a comment within our topic. True names like I was saying. Your name is Aya Rose Banks. However if I were to say: Aya Rose Banks, do a cartwheel." He stopped looking at me, I looked back incredulous.

"Why?" I demeaned.

"Exactly. You didn't do what I commanded, therefore its not your true name. You probably don't know it; I could guess it if you wish for me to, wouldn't be awfully hard to do. And this Eben of yours. What's his last name? Or he never gave you one? Don't answer; all you know of him is the noble Eben. Lord Eben. Why is he even interested in you? A low little village girl? Why capture your heart, and give you his when you already had another's. a more suitable man for one of your station?"

He knew my weaknesses, my doubt, my lowest self. He knew my demons and was using them against me. The host of hell indeed.

"Your true name would be something along the lines of Mourning Dove Rose. Now that I've said it I'm curious. Mourning Dove Rose, stand up." He said, his voice commanding. It felt like string were attached to my body and I was jerked up into a standing position. He looked at me briefly in surprise.

"Go ahead and sit." I sat, because I wanted to. "I was right, that's a weakness indeed highness, keep it close to your heart, don't tell anyone. True names, yes, dangerous things indeed aren't they?" he asked me. Is aid nothing, biting my lips, watching his fingers. Eventually I had to help him, bring armfuls of hay closer. I did this task in silence he would whistle occasionally, look to me to join in, I said nothing, thinking over what he had told me.

"I could make you sing." He said at one point "But I won't." He eventually finished and the floor was littered with fine gold straws that caught the scarlet light of dawn. There was a knock on the door.

"That's my cue." He said, shaking my hand and slipping off the ring in the process, he winked and disappeared thru the window just as the door opened to reveal Eben standing there, looking a little sleep deprived and tense. No one else was with him and he let out a breath when he saw the straw, his green eyes widening.

"My God, Aya." He whispered, looking at the gold.

I smiled sheepishly as he walked toward me, looking at me as if I was some awe inspiring being. His arm reached out and his fingers brushed my cheek. My fingers encircled his wrist and I laid his palm to my cheek.

"I'm real." I said, letting my hand fall. His other hand came to cup my other cheek and he held me as if I were a delicate star. His eyes were filled with wonderment.

"How?" he whispered. I smiled.

"'All the host of hell created havoc upon the earth. One of the host of hell exchanged life for silver and stone'" I said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Where's that quote from?" he asked me. Myself. That's what I should have said. But I just shrugged and smiled up at him. He smiled down at me his mouth curving into a tender curl, his hair falling into his eyes he gently kissed my forehead and put my arm thru his.

"Breakfast awaits us." He said with a small smile. I said nothing, moving with him out into the hallway. I stopped when he had reached a courtyard, looking up at him a sudden thought popping the numb bubble encasing my mind.

"Aya?" he asked me. I studied him carefully, assessing his eyes.

"You kissed me." I said, hearing the wonder in my tone. His cheeks turned slowly red.

"Um. Yes." He muttered, not looking at me. I stepped closer, placing my hand to his cheek.

"I didn't mind," I whispered, he looked at me, still a bit flushed, the sunlight catching his hair turning the edges white and making the illusion of an angle. He gently pressed his lips to mine again.

"Good."

**A/N- short and delayed, yes I know! I'm sorry! I'm trying!**


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